The Gift of the Lesser Pains
Over the years when sharing painful situations I’ve had people make comments like: “I don’t know how you do it,” “You are so strong,” “God must have known I could never handle xyz,” and many other such comments. I always find it a little awkward to hear things like that. Any resiliency or strength that I posses is not because I’m awesome; it is because of God’s mercy and faithfulness. I am not anything special. The only tangible thing I have is smaller painful experiences. I was talking to my sister today and was reminded of how so many smaller inconveniences, frustrations, and pains have contributed to the faith and hope that I now possess. God has proven Himself faithful over and over again in the “little” hardships of life. Through the years of trials my faith has grown little by little. As odd as it may seem, I can now see that so many of those lesser pains were beautiful gifts from the Lord. Without them I’m not sure I would have been able to handle the more painful things t...